Lighting for 40gl tall

AYE RUSS · 11/01/2009, 10:42 PM

So i have an acrylic 40gallon tall with an eclipse hood that holds 2 24'' T8 bulbs
What lighting recommendations do you guys have?
planning to have mostly fish and some corals but probably not so much but who knows also with a couple of anemones.

will 2 coralife T8 10000k daylight bulbs work?

thanks

AYE RUSS · 11/02/2009, 12:54 AM

anyone?

AYE RUSS · 11/02/2009, 12:04 PM

bump

Masoch · 11/03/2009, 09:28 AM

A couple things ...

Bumping your own posts can often lead to people not even looking at your post -- many people figure that, if there's a response (especially 2), someone's already popped in to answer your question.

That said ...

2 24" T8 bulbs over a 40 aren't appropriate for anything except non-photosynthetic corals and maybe, /maybe/ some very, very low light corals like mushrooms. Those lights won't be appropriate for any of the big / showy anemones (such as the ones that host clowns).

NPS corals are not for the faint of heart, however, since they need a huge amount of food, and it sounds like you're doing this tank on a limited budget and won't have some of the things you'd need for nutrient export like a turf scrubber / skimmer / sump combination.

But it would be fine for a fish only tank. And, frankly, FO tanks can look great in their own right.

AYE RUSS · 11/03/2009, 08:04 PM

sorry about the bumps just been a few days till someone actually posted and my post always ended up on the 3rd page.

Anyways so do you have any recommendations where i can get a hood for my tank that 30'' wide acrylic that i can put better lighting on?

Masoch · 11/03/2009, 09:24 PM

Well ...

Honestly, most pre-fab hoods are made for FW applications and don't have the lighting intensity for corals.

Most reefers, these days, either make / have made hoods to fit their tanks. But a bunch of reefers simply rest their lighting fixtures on the sides of the tank or suspend the lights from the ceiling. IME, a single MH pendant hung from the ceiling looks good, and a 250 watt pendant + ballast is ... what ... $175 used?

Just something to think about. This forum has a bunch of threads from the last few days with people looking for lights for 30" tanks, so poke around in those, as well.

grigsy · 11/03/2009, 10:18 PM

It's really not going to be enough light for reef. You will be fine for fish only.

If you want to do more of a reef tank, you may want to try out another hood. Maybe something economical from Current from your LFS would be a good choice.

11/01/2009, 10:42 PM	#1
AYE RUSS Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 11	Lighting for 40gl tall So i have an acrylic 40gallon tall with an eclipse hood that holds 2 24'' T8 bulbs What lighting recommendations do you guys have? planning to have mostly fish and some corals but probably not so much but who knows also with a couple of anemones. will 2 coralife T8 10000k daylight bulbs work? thanks

11/02/2009, 12:54 AM	#2
AYE RUSS Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 11	anyone?

11/02/2009, 12:04 PM	#3
AYE RUSS Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 11	bump

11/03/2009, 09:28 AM	#4
Masoch Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 549	A couple things ... Bumping your own posts can often lead to people not even looking at your post -- many people figure that, if there's a response (especially 2), someone's already popped in to answer your question. That said ... 2 24" T8 bulbs over a 40 aren't appropriate for anything except non-photosynthetic corals and maybe, /maybe/ some very, very low light corals like mushrooms. Those lights won't be appropriate for any of the big / showy anemones (such as the ones that host clowns). NPS corals are not for the faint of heart, however, since they need a huge amount of food, and it sounds like you're doing this tank on a limited budget and won't have some of the things you'd need for nutrient export like a turf scrubber / skimmer / sump combination. But it would be fine for a fish only tank. And, frankly, FO tanks can look great in their own right.

11/03/2009, 08:04 PM	#5
AYE RUSS Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 11	sorry about the bumps just been a few days till someone actually posted and my post always ended up on the 3rd page. Anyways so do you have any recommendations where i can get a hood for my tank that 30'' wide acrylic that i can put better lighting on?

11/03/2009, 09:24 PM	#6
Masoch Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 549	Well ... Honestly, most pre-fab hoods are made for FW applications and don't have the lighting intensity for corals. Most reefers, these days, either make / have made hoods to fit their tanks. But a bunch of reefers simply rest their lighting fixtures on the sides of the tank or suspend the lights from the ceiling. IME, a single MH pendant hung from the ceiling looks good, and a 250 watt pendant + ballast is ... what ... $175 used? Just something to think about. This forum has a bunch of threads from the last few days with people looking for lights for 30" tanks, so poke around in those, as well.

11/03/2009, 10:18 PM	#7
grigsy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Posts: 2,307	It's really not going to be enough light for reef. You will be fine for fish only. If you want to do more of a reef tank, you may want to try out another hood. Maybe something economical from Current from your LFS would be a good choice.